


The Garden Gnome and the Four Horsemen

by gchel



Category: Left 4 Dead (Video Games), The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Friendship, Gen, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:53:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28476471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gchel/pseuds/gchel
Summary: As the mysterious green flu which is commonly known as the Infection erupts and converts people into zombies-like beings a.k.a. the Infected, Nigel Kipling and his three remaining colleagues from Runway Magazine must find their way to survive this zombie apocalypse while searching for Miranda Priestly and their other colleagues who went missing after their first encounter with those zombies in Savannah, Georgia. [TDWP with Left 4 Dead 2 - Dark Carnival AU]
Kudos: 3





	The Garden Gnome and the Four Horsemen

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All the characters and places you recognize are the property of Lauren Weisberger, 20th-century Fox and Valve. No money made or infringement intended.

“Please tell me you have a better plan, Nigel.” Serena muttered to her colleague. “Please do tell us.”

“I wish I really had one for you, dear.” Nigel Kipling replied to Serena while his eyes kept watching Andrea Sachs driving their car through the dark on the deserted highway in Georgia. “But it seems like we’ve got nothing left to do for Miranda… Well, for now.”

“Really? I thought at least Andrea was the last one who saw Miranda just before what happened!” Emily Charlton huffed as she turned to glare at Andrea in disbelief. “And yet, we still can’t locate Miranda, Roy, Marc and Jocelyn after what we saw in that bloody hotel!”

“Jesus, Emily. Can’t you just calm down for a moment?” Serena sighed. “Is Miranda with them now?”

“I… Well, I…” Nigel rubbed his bald head which was still soaked from the wastewater. “I have no idea.”

“Guys? I’m sorry to interrupt you all.” Andrea said to everyone as she gradually reduced the car speed. “I know this wasn’t such a great idea for us, but this car can’t drive over 20 miles of those parked cars.”

Emily hissed after noticed what happened at her sights. She never saw herself living and working for the latest shoot in a state in southeastern region like Georgia ever since she was born to stay alive and survive all those impossible tasks in the world of craziness like Runway, let alone going shopping in that Liberty Mall which she and her colleagues from Runway later found out there was a green flu which transformed lots of unfortunate people into a horde of infected zombies. “What should we do?”

“Well, we have to park our car over there.” Nigel replied to Emily as Andrea followed his suggestion.

As Andrea gradually parked the blue stock car in front of several parked cars on the deserted highway, she couldn’t help but smile and blink her tears away as she removed her seatbelt and beckoned her three colleagues to get out of the car together. “Guys? Can I have some seconds? Alone. With this car. I got some things that need saying to him.”

“You’ve got to be a fucking kidding me.” Emily muttered while watching Andrea getting out of the car.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I have ever sat between, my dear. I love you so much. Goodbye.”

Emily couldn’t help but frown and shake her head as Andrea wiped her tears away. “Bollocks!”

“Language, Emily.” Nigel muttered to Emily after opened the car door and helped Andrea open the back trunk of the stock car while Miranda’s second assistant was retrieving those required ‘stuffs’ for their survival as they were now in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. “Come on, Serena. Sweetheart. We don’t have all time for this. There’s no way we can drive around this mess. Let’s keep walking!” 

Emily huffed. “I can’t believe we have to walk on foot since we killed those zombies this morning!”

“At least we know how to deal with those hazardous creatures, Emily.” Nigel responded to Emily. “Even though this means that we have to find Miranda and the others before we leave from Georgia, we can’t leave them face these traumatic events alone. We might get some signal of them from here.”

“Nigel’s right, Emily.” Serena said as she turned to look at Emily. “Miranda might be still with them.” 

After Nigel retrieved his submachine gun, a pistol and a first aid kit, both Emily and Serena eventually got out of the car before hurriedly picked up their favorite weapons which were placed on the ground. Serena chose silenced submachine gun after retrieved a first aid kit and a pistol while Emily was glaring at Andrea’s face in disbelief until Nigel turned his head towards her and motioned them to follow him.

“Whispering Oaks?” Nigel repeated the name he saw as he turned to look at the billboard on the right. “Hmm… Wait a second. I think I used to go there when I was a kid. Oh, yeah! That’s right! I’m right!”

“Oh, really?” Emily turned to frown at him in disbelief. “That’s great! Now we can die there as adults!”

Andrea shrugged as she watched Emily. “Come on, Em. Let's not make it harder than it needs to be.”

“Hurry up, girls.” Nigel snapped his glance as Emily eventually picked up a pump shotgun and a pistol. “Don’t forget your first aid, Emily. You know how much I do hate your wiggle while I’m healing you.”

“Are those lights from an amusement park?” Serena frowned after noticed something in the dark sky. Her eyes suddenly widened as she wept with joy. “Oh my God, guys! Look at those lights to the left! They’re having a large party over there! Look! Those lights over there are from an amusement park!”

“You’re damn right, Serena!” Nigel grinned while watching those lights from the left. “If we’re picking directions, I must say we have to head towards those spinning lights like Serena said!!! Let’s go, girls!”

Emily heaved a sigh as she picked up her first aid kit and carried a pump shotgun in both of her hands.

“If we had my monster truck…” Andrea mumbled while walking. “Yeah, we could drive over all this…”

“Goddamn you, Jimmy Gibbs Jr.!” Emily shouted after ran past Andrea. She climbed across those parked cars in hurry after found one of those zombies on the highway noticed their position from her flashlight and killed every zombie she saw. “You know what, I think our options are keep moving down the road towards those lights or die here! Anyone in the “die here” camp?! No?! Well then, let’s go!!!”

Andrea couldn’t help but roll her eyes as they all instantly started shooting an unstoppable zombies.

“Damn.” Emily huffed after killed a Boomer and a Spitter. “These abandoned cars go on for miles!”

“Perhaps they left them when they got rescued.” Nigel replied to Emily after shot a Smoker. “I think.”

“Oh, that’s one theory.” Emily smirked as she accompanied Serena by shooting another horde. “Yes!”

Nigel shushed as he shot one of those infected zombies who hurriedly ran towards Serena’s position. “I hear a Jockey.” He stopped at behind of the bus as Serena heard the familiar voice from one of their special enemies before a Jockey jumped towards her direction. As a Jockey was dead by Serena’s silenced submachine gun, Nigel lightly coughed and said to her. “There’s an off ramp. Down that way.”

Both Andrea and Emily hurriedly followed Nigel and Serena as they all fought those zombies under the bridges until found a motel nearby. “Highway’s blocked.” Nigel said. “Let’s check out this motel.”

“Well then.” Serena wiped those beads of sweat on her face and smirked. “What are we waiting for?”

As Andrea and Serena rushed into the motel and joined Nigel, Emily couldn’t help but grunt and pant as she gave pills for Serena while Andrea was searching for an adrenaline shot on the corpse nearby. “Well, well, well. Lights on, but nobody’s home. And please do not shoot that fucking car over there.” Emily snapped her glance towards Andrea. “The last time we encountered those zombies at Rayford, you screwed it all up by shooting that same type of a fucking car.”

“Oh, please.” Andrea snorted after found two adrenaline shots on the corpse and handed one of those shots towards Emily as her colleague walked up to Nigel. “That’s just what we called bad timing, Em.” 

“Looks like people were all heading towards Whispering Oaks.” Nigel muttered. “I wonder why…”

“What are we gonna do now?” Serena asked Nigel after retrieved a Molotov from the motel reception.

“Well, we’re not the only ones that thought to take this shortcut, Serena.” Nigel replied to Serena after noticed the exit from the motel which was at the other side of their positon. “Let’s get upstairs and find the way out of here, girls. We found nobody here but the zombies. Let’s just get out of here.”

As Nigel motioned his teammates to get out of the motel, a horde of infected zombies suddenly came towards their current position. “Run!!!” Andrea shouted to her teammates as she stepped forward and started shooting after realized Serena went upstairs behind her. “Don’t shoot that car! Okay?!”

“Andy, hurry!” Serena shouted as she started shooting those zombies from the upper floor. “Andy!”

Andrea hurriedly escaped from the incoming horde after she didn’t notice one of the most frightening zombies was heading towards her in all of a sudden. “Oh, God!” Andrea panted as the zombie was coming after her as she accidentally shot it on the head. “Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Witch! I pissed her off!!!”

“Damn you, Andrea Sachs!” Emily turned to shoot at the Witch as Andrea was running after her. “Leave that Witch alone!!!” She irritably huffed after saw those zombies’ burned bodies in the pool. “Gosh! Those people really sucked at high diving!”

“Girls! Through this room!” Nigel shouted back at his teammates after noticed the exit of this motel.

“HELP!!!” Andrea yelped as she was lying on the floor after the Witch started attacking her furiously.

Serena was about to follow Nigel into the room when her eyes noticed the Witch and Andrea. “Andy!”

Nigel hurriedly went back to help Andrea as the second assistant was now incapacitated on the floor before Serena eventually killed the Witch. “We don’t have time for this, Six!” Nigel shouted. “Get up!”

As Andrea was fully revived with several wounds on her body, she quickly healed herself by using her first aid kit while still waiting Emily to join them after shooting those incoming horde of zombies. “Cover me.” Andrea said while putting those bandages on her wounds until she sighed. “Better now.”

Emily couldn’t help but groan as she followed Nigel who headed towards the end of the hill. “Whoa!” She exclaimed as she instantly slid down the steeps until her feet was eventually on the lower ground.

“Wow! This is really fun!” Andrea beamed as she followed Emily’s footsteps and landed beside her. “Hey! That’s such a righteous ride down that hill. Anybody wants go up there and do that again?”

“Falling and breaking my neck is not fun, Andrea!” Emily hissed before turned to look at both Nigel and Serena in curiosity as they were standing somewhere in the dark. “What should we do now?”

“We have to cross the valley.” Nigel said to Emily as he led his teammates to the valley. “Careful, girls.”

“We should turn on our flashlights.” Serena suggested her teammates before turned on her flashlight.

“I hate water.” Emily muttered with a frown on her face as she followed both Serena and Nigel towards their destination by walking into the pond while Andrea was following her and covering them from behind as they slaughtered another sudden horde of infected zombies until they all reached an uphill.

As Serena’s eyes noticed a familiar growl and figure from afar, she was frightened in all of a sudden. “For the love of God!” Serena hurriedly ran to the other side of the hill. “SHOOT THE DAMN TANK!”

Emily, Nigel and Andrea started shooting at Tank as they hurriedly followed Serena towards an uphill until they eventually found the entrance of Whispering Oaks. However, as Serena accidentally shot another car with an alarm after they finally took Tank down, Andrea suddenly winced and frowned as her brown eyes turned to watch Emily’s smirk in disbelief. “Hey, Em. I know it was you shooting me!”

Emily huffed towards Andrea as Serena followed Nigel into their first safe room. “Can you forgive me?”

“For Christ’s sake, girls!” Nigel huffed at them. “Let’s get into that room and lock the goddamn door!”

Andrea couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she finally joined the rest of their teammates into the room. “I hope people got to be in that park.” She muttered to everyone and started healing herself again.

Nigel heaved a long sigh in relief as he finally healed himself, collected some ammos for his weapons and turned to look at Andrea with a frown on his face. “Midnight Riders are supposed to play here?”

“Huh?” Emily frowned after reloaded her dual pistols. “I never heard of them before. Any good?”

“Of course! I used to love that band.” Andrea replied to Nigel and Emily after reloaded her shotgun. “Best pyrotechnics in the business. Even though their new stuff is no good at all, I surely can guarantee all of you guys that they do really have best backup singers you ever want to hear!”

“Really?” Serena frowned after healed herself. “So they ride midnight? Or they ride at midnight?”

Nigel, Emily and Andrea turned to look at Serena in unison after they all heard what she said.

“Oh, I mean…” Serena replied to Andrea and picked up a first aid kit. “Anyway, I hate classic rock.”

“Oh! Come on, Serena!” Andrea dramatically pouted at Serena as Emily eventually walked to the door. “Are you kidding me? I mean… They were not really…” She sighed. “Actually, they had one good song.”

As Nigel unlocked the safe room door and headed into the main area of an amusement park with his teammates from Runway Magazine, Andrea couldn’t help but smirk as they started shooting zombies. “Hey, Nigel.” She turned to look at Nigel. “Can we stop and make some cotton candy here? Seriously.”

Nigel lightly chuckled as his eyes saw how enthusiastically Andrea ran towards the shooting gallery. “Oh, yes! That’s it! Cotton Candy! The king of foods! All these signs here are really making me hungry.”

“Dear Nigel.” Serena couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’re now making me hungry just listening to you.”

“I think I might win something here.” Andrea grinned after started shooting several stuffed elephants.

"There's still searchlights on!” Nigel grinned after noticed the lights. “Girls! I'd say that's a good sign!"

“Anybody else find this peanut thing a little terrifying?” Emily asked after saw the ad sign on her way which also included with the shooting gallery sign that Andrea recently requested and challenged Nigel to shoot on those targets at their sights without shooting the peanuts until they reached to 750 points which eventually made the cabinet nearby open. “God. I really don’t like that little peanut man at all.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Emily.” Serena swallowed. “I think I’ve really had nightmares with this peanut.”

“Why are you guys are so jaded?” Andrea couldn’t help but smirk at both Serena and Emily after reloaded her pump shotgun while retrieving her present. “You know what? I used to have his toys when I was just bite-sized. That little stuffed peanut is the only best friend I could have.”

As Andrea decided to carry a special gift from the shooting gallery on her own, Emily couldn’t help but mutter and frown after realized what Andrea was carrying in her hands. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Hey! Come on, girls! Gird your loins!” Nigel beckoned them to follow him after killed a Hunter nearby.

“Isn’t he lovely?” Andrea smiled at Serena while carrying Gnome Chompski, the garden gnome she got from the shooting gallery in her hands as Serena started shooting a horde of zombies which was also included those infected clowns who were wandering nearby. “I’ve never been so scared of clowns.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Emily turned to look at Andrea in disbelief after shot a Jockey down. “You don’t afraid of that freaking peanuts and stupid garden gnomes, but you’re afraid of clowns?!”

“I couldn’t help it, Em! They’re so creepy!” Andrea replied to Emily as Serena killed a Boomer who suddenly exploded a bile into them just in time before another horde of zombies ran into them in fury.

“Aww! This stuff really sucks!” Serena muttered with a frown while shooting those zombies. “Gross!”

Emily groaned as she shoved those zombies and killed them when Andrea suddenly wailed after being crashed and pummelled by Charger. “Gosh! Shoot it!” Andrea frantically shouted. “Shoot this thing!”

Serena hurriedly shot a Charger until it was dead before motioned both Andrea who quickly picked up the garden gnome and Emily who couldn’t help but mutter some inaudible words to follow Nigel after they all heard his sudden exclamation as they encountered another horde between those food tents. “Spitter got me!” Nigel grunted as he stepped away from a Spitter’s goo.

Emily shot a Spitter and waited until its goo eventually faded away from the ground. “This way, guys!”

As Nigel, Andrea and Serena followed Emily into the concrete building behind the shooting gallery, they eventually rushed out of the building after Andrea swapped her pump shotgun to auto shotgun and Serena swapped her silenced submachine gun to sniper rifle. “I really hope that thing would put you in some good use, Serena.” Nigel said to Serena as they killed another horde of zombies before swapped his submachine gun to AK-47 as they all reached towards a large table under the red tent.

“Guys! Check this out!” Andrea beamed after noticed a large colourful sign at her sights. “Kiddie Land!”

“I swear to God, Nigel.” Emily rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t it sometimes feel like we’re babysitting her?”

“I think Andy is making the best of a bad situation, Emily.” Serena responded to Emily’s question as she followed Andrea and Nigel into Kiddie Land while constantly shooting zombies along their way. “At least we don’t have to focus on what could happen to Miranda and our friends for a while.”

“She’s like a five-year-old with guns, Serena.” Emily snapped her glance towards Nigel and Serena as she eventually swapped her shotgun to M-16 assault rifle. “And a comprehensive grasp of every swear word in the English language. I do swear to God that girl from Ohio doesn’t even know how to shoot!”

“Witch, Witch, Witch.” Andrea muttered while carrying the garden gnome in her hands. She decided to put her gnome down before shot the Witch on its head and left its dead body on the ground. “Yup.” She grinned after picked her gnome up and carried it along the way which they needed to climb up the ladder and head towards the rooftop of the water park. “Quick! Let’s move up here, guys!”

As soon as they exited the water park and were about to exit Kiddie Land, Serena turned her gaze towards the carousel as Andrea hopped down from the building and rushed towards the wall nearby that carousel after realized the only way to exit this whole area was to open the gate of the carousel.

“Well, your Gnome Chompski is too short to ride, Andrea.” Emily taunted as they were near the gate.

Andrea couldn’t help but mock her colleague as she turned her gaze towards Emily. “Very funny, Em.”

“Alright, alright.” Nigel rubbed his bald head as he followed Andrea and stood behind Serena calmly. “That generator… that switch on the generator… that’s gonna open the gate. And what the hell else?”

“You know what, Nigel?” Emily frowned after noticed a glance from Andrea who was being reluctant. “Somehow, I think it’s gonna activate everything else around here. But we really need to turn on this power to open the gate.” Emily huffed. “And Andrea, what the hell are you waiting for?! Let’s do it!”

As Andrea turned to open the carousel’s gate by pressing a button to activate the generator, the gate gradually opened for them with a sudden shriek that alerted those horde of zombies in all of a sudden.

“Alright, the gate’s on now! Let’s go, guys! Let’s go!” Serena shouted at them while shooting those unstoppable zombies which came towards her direction. She hurriedly followed both Nigel and Emily to the other side of Kiddie Land after Andrea rushed towards the exit behind the carousel and tried to switch off the alarm at the same time. “Hey, Andy! For the love of God! Andy! Turn off the alarm now!”

“I’m trying!” Andrea shouted back before avoided a Jockey’s sudden attack as Nigel eventually arrived in time and killed a Jockey before turned to switch off the alarm by himself. “Thanks so much, Nigel!”

“Anytime, Six. Come on!” Nigel motioned Andrea to follow him while Emily and Serena were shooting at those infected zombies and special infected such as Smoker, Charger, Boomer, Spitter and Hunter in their area. “Alright, girls! Alarm’s off now! Let’s get out of here!” 

Andrea drew out her axe before chopped those zombies’ heads in a single hit as Emily stumbled on the ground and was pinned down by Hunter. “Hunter’s got Em!” Andrea shouted before used her axe to chop Hunter into pieces and pulled Emily up from the ground. “Oh my God, Emily! Are you alright?”

Emily shook her head before muttered her thanks towards Andrea as they followed Nigel and Serena.

“There’s the safe room!” Nigel panted while running and fighting against those unstoppable zombies. “Everybody, let’s get into the Tunnel of Love! Gird your loins, darlings! We don’t have time for this!”

“Tunnel of Love?! Jesus Christ!” Emily huffed and glared at Nigel. “Why couldn’t I have been in Paris when the Infection hit here? Instead, I’m trapped in some goddamn hillbilly tunnel of love in Georgia!”

Nigel shook his head as he shot a Charger. “Come on, Emily! Damn it! Stop dawdling around here!”

“Watch out, Emily!” Serena shouted before sniped the Smoker who almost got her colleague. “Hurry!”

Andrea couldn’t help but shrug with a smirk on her face as she picked up the garden gnome and carried it along the way towards the second safe room until they all reached their latest destination after Emily turned to shoot a Spitter just before those zombies approached them at the safe room door.

As Serena turned to lock the door after both Emily and Andrea rushed into their second safe room, she couldn’t help but sigh at the sights as Emily started healing herself in hurry. “Honestly, guys.” Serena turned to glance at everyone. “This is the most relaxing safe room I’ve ever been in.”

Nigel couldn’t help but chuckle before swapped his pistol to a magnum and started healing himself.

“You got your wish, Andrea.” Emily heaved a sigh in distress. “We’re now in an amusement park ride.”

“It’s not that kind of ride, Em.” Andrea whispered. “This is where you make out with your girlfriend.”

Serena suddenly blushed after overheard their conversation as Nigel whistled while collecting ammos.

“Bringing back any memories, Nigel?” Emily asked him. “You, a cheeseburger, romance in the air…”

“My dearest Emily, I was working for your Miranda. How many tunnel of love memories did you have?”

Emily rolled her eyes after healed herself. As Nigel carefully opened the safe room door and led his teammates into the Tunnel of Love, Emily eventually picked up some ammos and her first aid kit before joined her team as Andrea used her garden gnome to kill those unaware zombies while Serena started sniping those infected clowns from afar. “The clowns are attracting a horde!” Serena shouted.

“Kill them all, my bitches!” Nigel grinned as he started slaughtering those zombies through the tunnel.

Andrea lightly chuckled. “Guys! Looks like we’re going through the Tunnel of Love! No hanky panky!”

“Oh, yeah? Sounds promising.” Serena panted while glancing around. “It doesn’t look natural at all.”

Emily snorted after walked past some swan boats. “You could almost call this a cement river, Andrea.”

“Yeah?” Andrea frowned at Emily’s words while following her colleagues. “Very funny, Em. Thanks.”

“This isn’t very romantic at all.” Serena rolled her eyes as she noticed an air duct nearby and followed Nigel into an air duct until they finally found the maintenance room. “Someone wanna count it off?”

“Come on, Serena. It’s an air duct of love!” Andrea smirked. “You’re gonna love this as much as I do!”

Emily heaved another sigh in distress as Nigel, Serena and Andrea eventually noticed the dead end. “Okay, that got us around the block. Where should we head to?”

“Come on, girls! This way!” Nigel walked to the left side after found the way towards their exit. “Or as Miranda says, ‘By all means, move with a glacial pace. You know how it thrills me.’ Am I right?!”

“Watch out! Smoker! Over there!” Serena repeatedly sniped at Smoker until it was dead. “It’s dead!”

“Great job, Serena!” Andrea complimented her colleague without taking a glance at Emily’s glare.

“Let’s get upstairs.” Emily muttered as she motioned both Andrea and Serena to follow her. “Quick.”

All three women hurriedly followed Nigel’s footsteps by going upstairs until they noticed a big hole on the cement floor. As Nigel noticed those zombies were attempting to climb up, he quickly blew their heads off by his Ak-47 before dropped himself on the swan boat down below. “I don’t remember the Tunnel of Love being this long.” Nigel muttered to his teammates with a slight frown on his face as they all dropped themselves into the Tunnel of Love again. “I must have something else on my mind.”

“This is the longest Tunnel of Love that I’ve ever experienced…” Emily mumbled. “I really hate this.”

As Nigel and his Runway colleagues eventually headed out from the building, they suddenly turned their gazes up in the sky after saw a helicopter was flying over their heads while they were heading towards the Screaming Oak, a wooden roller coaster which followed the theme of a haunted house.

“There goes the chopper!”

“Oh, no.” Andrea swallowed after noticed a familiar figure was heading towards them. “Tank!!!”

Nigel turned pale in all of a sudden as Emily and Serena started shooting another Tank at their sights.

“SHOOT THAT BIG MOTHER, NOW!!!” Nigel shouted at his teammates. “CAN YOU HEAR ME?!”

Andrea instantly dropped her garden gnome and drew out her shotgun while glaring directly at Tank. “Guys! Keep shooting that BITCH!” She continued shooting Tank furiously. “LIGHT THAT MOTHER UP!”

Emily hurriedly ran into the Screaming Oak as Serena decided to throw a Molotov on Tank’s body after Nigel picked up the garden gnome and followed Andrea into the Screaming Oak together. “Serena!!!”

Serena quickly jumped across the fence just in time before Tank eventually succumbed to its injury.

As Emily pulled Serena away from the fence, Andrea couldn’t help but smile and look at Nigel in gratitude as he returned her garden gnome. “I really can’t thank you enough for helping me, Nigel.”

“Like I said, Six. Anytime.” Nigel smiled at Andrea before reloaded his magnum as they started walking leisurely towards the roller coaster in front of them. “This is some crazy-ass world we live in now, Six. The only way we can get out of here is over the coaster, but we are blocked. We can’t climb on those woods for sure. I wish Miranda is here… Wait. If she was here with us, things might be worse for her.”

Andrea nodded in agreement while looking at Emily who was still panting after reloaded her pistols.

“I’ll do it, Nigel.” Serena said to Nigel as she ran towards the wall next to the inactivated roller coaster before pressed a button to activate the generator nearby. “I’m starting it!!!” She shouted back at him.

“Gosh, I hate roller coasters!” Emily rolled her eyes as Andrea hurriedly started running on the tracks after the coaster was released from the starting point. “Alright, everyone! Let’s get out of here now!”

Nigel hurriedly followed Andrea and Serena after Emily started shooting another horde of zombies. “Someone needs to turn off that alarm!” He shouted at both of them while slaughtering zombies on the tracks of roller coaster with his AK-47. “Girls! Stay on the tracks and turn that shit off! Hurry!!!”

“Cover me!” Andrea said to Serena as she hurried to switch off the alarm by herself. “I’ll shut it off!!!”

Serena nodded before shouted back at both Emily and Nigel. “Just follow the tracks! We can do this!”

“Thank God! This doesn’t do a loop.” Emily heaved a sigh as she constantly shot an infected clown and those zombies before took out an adrenaline shot which Andrea gave her earlier to inject herself after realized she had been hit constantly by those infected zombies while sprinting on the coaster tracks. “Hell yes! Much better.”

“I’m almost there!” Andrea shouted at Nigel as she ran towards the short tunnel in front of her sights.

Serena swallowed some pills as Andrea rushed into the short tunnel. “Andy, watch out that Hunter!”

Andrea quickly avoided a Hunter’s attack while running into the short tunnel and heading out to the end of the roller coaster. As Serena brutally killed a Hunter by a single headshot from her sniper rifle, Andrea hurried to switch off the alarm while carrying her garden gnome and attacking those zombies.

“Gosh, my legs! My fucking legs!” Emily wailed while struggling to survive from those zombies’ attack. “These goddamn infected DO NOT any respect lines!”

“Emily!” Serena quickly aimed at those zombies before instantly sniped them all as soon as she could.

“The alarm’s off!” Andrea announced as she used her gnome to hit another zombie nearby on its head.

“Girls! Get into the trailer now!” Nigel joined both Serena and Andrea with blood and gore over his face and his entire outfits as well as his Runway teammates. “Get your ass up, Emily! Into that trailer!”

Emily groaned while reloading her pistols. She hurriedly staggered towards Nigel’s direction after she was survived another sudden attack from those unstoppable zombies by his shooting. “What a bitch!”

Serena professionally protected Andrea and her garden gnome by shooting the rest of those incoming zombies as Nigel turned to shoot at Smoker and give his pills towards Emily just in time before Andrea locked the safe room door after them. As Serena and Andrea noticed Emily was in a total bad shape, Miranda’s first assistant gradually snorted as she wiped her nosebleed and said to her teammates. “This is such a piece of crap.” Emily shook her head after sat down. “I have not come this far… to die.”

“Stop squirming, Emily.” Nigel huffed while healing Emily who couldn’t help but mutter some words.

As Nigel finished healing Emily, Miranda’s first assistant couldn’t help but glare at Andrea in distress. “You owe me those Louboutin shoes, Andrea! For God’s sake!” She hissed. “I don’t understand why you still chose to carry that fucking garden gnome instead of trying to save all your colleague’s lives!”

Andrea meekly swallowed to Emily’s remark after healed herself and collected some ammos from the pile for her auto shotgun. “We're gonna need something big to signal that chopper, guys. Any ideas?”

Nigel didn’t respond to Andrea’s suggestion and question until they headed out from the safe room and started slaughtering those incoming zombies and infected crowns at the fairgrounds. As Andrea absentmindedly injected an adrenaline shot and hit the gong of Mustachio by using her axe, another horde of zombies started attacking them again. “Girls! We must go through the bumper cars! Now!"

Serena covered Andrea and Emily as they went after Nigel’s pace and rushed into the building nearby.

Everything seemed to be perfectly fine for all four horsemen from Runway who were now started panting after running and fighting those infected zombies all the way through the amusement park unless there was another gigantic and furious Tank coming up towards their current position as soon as Nigel realized that climbing up on those barns nearby their position might help them reaching towards the Peach Pit Stadium which was supposed to hold the exclusive concert of Midnight Riders.

“Oh, dear.” Andrea muttered as her brown eyes widened in fright. “Please tell me I’m just dreaming.” 

“Yes! There's that chopper again!” Nigel shouted as the helicopter flew away from their sights again.

“Shit! Shit! Shoot the shit out of that thing!” Serena frighteningly shouted back while sniping the Tank.

As Andrea decided to drop the garden gnome and started shooting the Tank, Emily hurriedly stepped away from her colleague’s range as Andrea stepped closer to their gigantic enemy until it was dead. “Well, that was mine.” Andrea smirked as she went out to play whack a mole nearby until she won. “Oops!” Miranda’s second assistant swallowed as they heard another horde coming again. “My bad.”

“For Christ’s sake, Andrea!” Emily hissed at Andrea. “Can’t you just stop doing that fucking thing?!”

“I think we really need to signal the chopper!" Nigel hurriedly led them into the barns after saw Andrea picked the gnome up and Serena decided to cover her teammates as Emily kept following their paces.

“Ugh! What's that smell?” Emily asked Nigel after noticed dead animals inside those abandoned barns.

“Honestly, Em.” Andrea mischievously grinned. “It really smells like a raccoon died in a diaper factory.”

As Nigel motioned all three women to follow him climbing up those barns’ roofs, Emily couldn’t help but heave a sigh as Andrea and Serena started following him. Serena motioned Emily to get on those roofs before her as she started sniping all those zombies until Nigel and Andrea safely reached towards the other side of the large stadium which was blocked by those gates at their sights. “Alright, girls!” Nigel said to Andrea as Emily and Serena joined him. “Let's get inside the stadium! I have an idea!”

“Wow! That’s all I want to hear, really. Good job, Nigel.” Serena switched on the lever beside the stadium’s gates before shouted at her teammates after noticed something was about to happen. “Everyone, get ready! Climb up to that scaffold! They’re coming here!”

As soon as the gates were to be opened, the lights were instantly on and the alarm suddenly went off as all four members from Runway finished preparing for an upcoming fight on that scaffold in front of the stadium’s gates. Serena hurriedly sniped Smoker who was hiding behind the gates and all those infected zombies who were running from the stadium and heading towards their position while Emily and Nigel turned to fight against those incoming zombies which came from the barns with their best assault rifles as Andrea temporarily dropped her favourite garden gnome on the scaffold and started pumping her auto shotgun. She hurriedly slaughtered the large amount of special infected zombies such as Charger, Hunter, Jockey and Boomer just in time before they could reach her on the scaffold.

“Gird your loins into the stadium! Now!” Nigel hurriedly jumped down from the scaffold as the gates were now opened. He threw a bile jar to the other side as he led his teammates towards the stadium.

“Oh, no! Nigel! ” Emily’s eyes suddenly widened with fear. “There’s a Hunter over there! Watch out!” 

“Nige!” Andrea shouted at Nigel while carrying a garden gnome. “Serena! Get that Hunter off of him!”

As a Hunter pinned Nigel down and started attacking him, Serena rushed to her colleague before slashed an enemy with a katana in her hands. Unfortunately, as Serena and Andrea attempted to make their way towards the stadium, Andrea was badly injured from a Jockey and the zombie horde which made her drop her favourite garden gnome in all of a sudden. “ARGH!!! GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!!!”

Even though Serena could eliminate a Jockey and rescue her colleague just in time before Andrea would be incapacitated on the ground again, Andrea’s health was undoubtedly low as well as Serena who suddenly realized her injury after rescued Emily from Spitter’s goo. “Gosh, this was a bad idea.”

“You’re right, Serena.” Andrea slightly winced as they all arrived into the stadium after had witnessed one of the largest chaos they had encountered in their entire lives. “This is totally not in my plans.”

"Listen to me. Okay?” Nigel said to both Serena and Andrea after finished healing himself and collected some ammos for his AK-47 from the ammo pile on the table. “I just figure out how we can signal that chopper now. First, we must look for our supplies and then we start the Midnight Riders finale here. It's all kinds of fireworks, smoke pots, and lights and lots of shit we can’t let Miranda see in Runway.”

Andrea grinned. “I always wanted to run to a helicopter during a guitar solo. Just like in a music video."

Emily couldn’t help but huff as she exchanged a brief glance with Andrea who became energetic again after healed herself with a first aid kit and retrieved some ammos for her auto shotgun just before she turned to carry that freaking garden gnome. “Okay, okay, okay.” Emily rubbed her nose and temples. “We'll set off the pyrotechnics, but I'm telling you right now. I’M NOT GOING TO AIR GUITAR. Alright?”

“That’s pretty smart, Nigel.” Serena nodded to Nigel after reloaded her sniper rifle and walked towards the safe room door in front of them. “Miranda must be proud of you. She must be proud of us, too.”

Andrea couldn’t help but sigh as she realized now she was thinking about Miranda again. “I miss her.”

“Me too, Six. Me too.” Nigel smirked. “Though I must admit that I didn’t quite miss her glares at all.”

“Perhaps Andrea is the only one here who loves Miranda in a full dragon mode, Nigel.” Emily taunted.

Serena remained silent as Emily finally retrieved her ammos and opened the safe room door for them.

Nigel hurriedly led them out from the building while Serena and Emily killing those unaware zombies on their way until the team arrived at the abandoned concert of Midnight Riders inside the stadium.

“There's the stage. This way." Nigel flicked his hand towards the stage which was placed in front of their sights before turned to glance around the area thoughtfully. “We have to figure out how to turn all this stuff on before they found us again. Look for our supplies and do whatever you want now. Go!”

Andrea hurriedly took out those gas cans and boxes of fireworks from the storage boxes nearby before threw them all over the place inside the stadium and on the concert stage which let Serena and Emily easily notice them from afar while sniping and shooting those zombies on one of those two scaffolds which were set on the amphitheatres inside the stadium as Emily decided to cover Serena’s position.

“Ready to rock, Six?” Nigel smiled at Andrea who enthusiastically swapped her axe to an electric guitar.

“I was born ready, Nigel.” Andrea said as she smirked at her colleagues. “Let’s rock this shit together!”

Andrea and Nigel decided to take those infected zombies down while standing on the concert stage as Emily activated those lights and motioned Andrea to activate the sound mixer at the tent which finally started the concert of Midnight Riders after Nigel activated those fireworks while standing near the microphone on the stage and injured himself just before they prepared themselves for the finale.

“Serena!” Emily shouted after they all heard the horde was coming. “There’s a Smoker! Over there!”

“Got it!” Serena said as she instantly sniped her enemy with a single headshot before turned her rifle scope to an incoming horde of infected zombies which rushed towards Nigel and Andrea’s direction while both of them were performing Midnight Riders’ songs with an instrumental version on the stage.

_“Every lady's crazy when your daddy's not around!!!”_ Nigel sang while shooting zombies. _“Oh, yeah!!!”_

“Gosh, I can’t stand these two idiots.” Emily rolled her eyes while shooting those zombies at her sights.

“Oh, yeah.” Serena couldn’t help but shake her head in amusement. “Just shut up and keep shooting.”

As Emily shot one of those gas cans on the ground nearby the stage, Andrea shoved those zombies and hit on those unstoppable zombies’ heads as soon as the creatures came towards her direction while Nigel was shooting the rest of those zombies on the stage with his AK-47 as Andrea threw a Molotov towards the amphitheatres after saw those zombies were heading towards Emily’s position.

“MORE! MORE! MORE! WE NEED MORE!!!” Nigel enthusiastically shouted through the microphone.

Andrea joyfully joined him as she swung an electric guitar and he started doing an air guitar with her. _“Oh, yeah!!! Yeah!!! I’ve got to reach for the top!!! Stay on the mountain!!!”_

Despite Andrea and Nigel’s horrible singing, all four horsemen from Runway still kept fighting towards those infected zombies and various special infected such as Charger, Spitter, Smoker, Boomer, Jockey, and Hunter while constantly waiting for the rescue from that helicopter until they suddenly spotted two Tanks which came towards Emily and Serena’s position. “Nigel's crazy idea really worked, guys!” Serena suddenly turned pale after realized one of the Tanks just threw a concrete seat towards her. “Aw, shit! Tank!” Serena kept shooting at it after jumped off the scaffold. “Don’t stop shooting it!!!”

“Guys, we need to burn these tanks! You hear me?!” Emily shouted in fury while shooting the Tank.

“You see that?” Andrea said through the microphone. “The Midnight Riders' music saves our lives!"

As Serena retrieved her ammos and Emily glanced up at the sky after heard the sound of a helicopter, Andrea hurriedly threw another Molotov towards the other Tank and started shooting it after Nigel ran down from the stage. He was heading up towards the helicopter which the pilot was reluctant to pull over the vehicle at the side of the amphitheatres after noticed the first Tank came to his position.

“Girls! Hurry!!! We’ve got to kill all Tanks before he lands!!!” Nigel shouted as he killed the first Tank.

Andrea and Emily kept shooting the last Tank until the gigantic zombies were all dead by the combination of Nigel’s AK-47, Emily’s M-16 and Serena’s sniper rifle. As Emily hurriedly went up to the helicopter with injured Serena, Andrea quickly picked up her garden gnome from the stage and rushed towards the helicopter just in time before another horde of infected zombies was approaching her.

“Go! Go! Go!”

As the helicopter eventually took off with four Runway survivors from the stadium, Emily couldn’t help but frown as Andrea gradually smirked while patting the head of her garden gnome affectionately. “Can’t you just drop that shit?” Emily huffed as Andrea turned to look at everyone with a broad smile.

“Sorry, Em. But I really can’t resist to pet him.” Andrea cheekily smiled and winked back at Emily. “Besides, today is also Cass and Caro’s birthday. So, I have to give them some little birthday present. Well, after they had asked me to complete their task while Miranda was still in Paris with you guys.”

“With this fucking garden gnome from the amusement park?! Why don’t you ask Miranda to buy…?”

“My dearest Emily.” Nigel interrupted Emily with a hint of smirk on his face as he glanced between her, Serena and Andrea. “I guess you and Serena didn’t know the meaning of that lovely gnome at all.”

Emily couldn’t help but frown, gape and shake her head in a total confusion as Cassidy and Caroline were congratulating Andrea who was actually grinning while sitting at the desk inside their bedroom with an enthusiastic manner after they all had completed Dark Carnival for the umpteenth time.

And still, Emily couldn’t figure out how proudly Miranda Priestly was while watching Andrea, Cassidy and Caroline with a giant smirk on her face after her piercing blue eyes noticed a new notification on the screen in front of her twin daughters and her ex-assistant who eventually turned to be her wife. 

**CASCARTHEDRAGONS has earned the achievement GUARDIN’ GNOME**

**TheOneAndOnlyEM has earned the achievement GUARDIN’ GNOME**

**NKIP4317 has earned the achievement GUARDIN’ GNOME**

**SERENEcutie has earned the achievement GUARDIN’ GNOME**

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> GUARDIN’ GNOME is one of the main achievement in Dark Carnival a.k.a the third campaign of Left 4 Dead 2. It requires the player to rescue Gnome Chompski a.k.a the garden gnome which can be found on the shooting gallery in the fairgrounds of the Carnival. The player must carry the garden gnome through the entire campaign, bring him to the rescue helicopter at the finale, and leave the carnival on the helicopter while still carrying him. 
> 
> You can find how to get an achievement from here:   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeuDhAHFJLU


End file.
